Nikkei Asia Prizes 2004

Malaria in cross hairs of crusading researcher

Winner for Science, Technology and Innovation:
Yongyuth Yuthavong
senior researcher at Thailand's National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Malaria remains an intractable disease today, claiming several million victims worldwide every year.

The disease has managed to stay a step ahead of medical science by simply mutating and strengthening its immunity to the drugs used to treat it.

Yongyuth Yuthavong traces his work on malaria to an experience he had while studying chemistry in the U.K. in the 1960s. "I was so excited to hear researchers announce their discovery of an enzyme's chemical composition - a major breakthrough in human history - that I never forgot the experience," he recalls. He immersed himself in the study of enzymes and cell membranes after earning a doctorate in organic chemistry.

At the time, malaria was rampant, taking a heavy human toll around the globe. The disease is caused in tropical areas by a parasite that enters the human body through the bite of an infected mosquito. The malaria parasite reproduces in liver cells before forcing its way into red blood cells, eventually spreading throughout the body.

Confident that his research would be helpful in conquering the disease, he began studying malaria in the mid-1970s with financial assistance from the Rockefeller Foundation and others, a commitment that has continued for almost three decades.

His most notable contribution has been the advancement of analysis of the structure of the malaria parasite. By the end of 2003, Yuthavong and his fellow researchers had almost completely elucidated the molecular structure of a key enzyme known as dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), with X-ray crystallography.

The analysis of the enzyme's structure was hailed worldwide as a great step toward overcoming malaria, since it will help in the development of a new generation of drugs to fight the disease.

Yuthavong said that more than 90% of the structure of the enzyme has been identified, and the analysis should be complete in a few more years.

He predicts, however, that it will take at least five to 10 years to develop a vaccine against the disease. His battle against malaria is likely to continue until less expensive vaccines are developed.

In addition to his work on malaria, Yuthavong helped organize T